AAHA is aiming the spotlight at veterinary surgery education with its upcoming “AAHA Live Surgery Suite” at AAHA Phoenix 2013.

The sessions on March 15 will mark the first time that surgeries have been screened live during a veterinary conference on such a large scale with such high quality, said John Fritschler, AAHA director of education.

“These live surgeries are a new and exciting way for people to learn as a team, and discuss what they have seen in a safe and comfortable environment,” Fritschler said.

According to Fritschler, AAHA made every effort to infuse the visually compelling sessions with interactivity so attendees can enjoy a well-rounded learning experience.

“Small labs are limited in capacity and expensive, while recorded sessions don’t have the realism of what the team will face,” Fritschler said. “Here you will have the ability to talk to the experts and learn new techniques in a manner that allows for true adult learning. Simply, this is an unparalleled conference learning experience.”

Session setup

Attendees expecting a relatively small, hard-to-see projector screen will immediately notice the enormous high-definition screen that stands 12 stories wide by two stories tall.

The large screen situated in the Grand Ballroom enables an entire room of veterinarians to easily see every action being performed at Mississippi State University and the Veterinary Specialty Hospital of San Diego, where the surgeries will take place.

To ensure interactivity, a panel of experts will be on stage during each surgical procedure to walk attendees through each step, discuss the equipment being used, and answer questions as they arise. This informational approach creates a “great team learning environment,” Fritschler said.

Building an educational video library

This year’s AAHA Live Surgery Suite isn’t a one-and-done event, Fritschler said. Discussions are already under way regarding the next set of AAHA Live Surgery Suite sessions at the 2014 yearly conference in Nashville.  

Those who can't attend the conference will be able to view sessions on-demand at AAHA’s new online learning library, www.aahaeducation.org. Each subsequent conference will yield additional recorded sessions, which will build a robust educational center for veterinarians.

“Over the next few years you will see a wide variety of procedures performed including cutting-edge techniques, which is why this is going to be an incredible series,” he said.

Session schedule

The following live streaming surgery sessions are scheduled for Friday, March 15, at AAHA Phoenix 2013:

• A Day in the Life of Practice: 8-9:40 a.m. & 4:20-6 p.m.
  Our experts show you challenging procedures including bone marrow analysis, core biopsy techniques, and joint taps in the morning session and central vein catheterization, chest tube placement, and endotracheal tube tracheal wash technique in the afternoon.
  Andrew Mackin, BVMS, DACVIM and John Thomason, DVM, MS, DACVIM
• TPLO: What to Expect From Your Referral: 10:20 a.m.-noon
  Sponsored by AAHA MARKETLink/MWI/SECUROS
• Pediatric Spay/Neuter - Live Demonstration & Presentation: 2-3:40 p.m.
  Sponsored by PetSmart Charities

More information

For a full lineup of AAHA Phoenix 2013 events, visit AAHA’s conference website. You can also download the free mobile app for conference attendees.